While exciting, pursuing your career in a new country can also be a tough ordeal if it means leaving your family behind. But what if you discover that there’s a way for you to bring your family to the UK while working?
This is possible through a sponsorship licence. A sponsorship licence is something that UK employers usually need to apply for if they’re planning to hire international employees. Most businesses tend to hire overseas workers to diversify international knowledge and culture. There are also instances where certain industries lack the home-grown talent needed to fill in-demand work positions, which is why there is a tendency to recruit employees overseas.
In most cases, an employer can also sponsor your family to come with you to the country for good, even opening up the possibility for you to transition into permanent residence easily. Many individuals and migrants have already done this, approaching their employers to sponsor a certain family member through a sponsor licence. This is possible through a Skilled Worker visa, previously known as a Tier 2 Sponsorship licence. Despite this, it’s worth noting that you may expect monitoring and close evaluation by the Home office and need to make necessary adjustments along the process.
That said, you’ll need a sponsorship licence if you want to bring your family with you to another country. This article will discuss how this is possible, its perks, and some things you want to keep in mind as you go.
What is a sponsorship licence?
UK employers generally need to accomplish a sponsorship licence application if they plan to hire a skilled foreign worker.
Sponsor licences usually fall under the Temporary Worker Licence and the Worker Licence categories. Moreover, the kind of work the organization or company is hiring for determines the sponsor licence the employer will need to apply for.
That said, organizations should fulfil several obligations and duties as a foreign worker’s employer, both prior to and during the employment process. There is a need to decide the members of the company who will be representing it, those of which should at least be senior or executive members instead of a shareholder.
Part of the process of application also requires the employer to prove the legitimacy of his or her business that requires the use of foreign talent.
For migrant employees, it’s worth noting that a sponsorship licence isn’t really a requirement to work in the United Kingdom if you already have been allowed work through other visas. Even so, the majority of migrant workers who enter the UK for their careers often need sponsorship in the absence of other necessary permits. This means that you should first obtain a job offer from a firm that has a sponsor licence to begin with.
Sponsor Licence Types
- Worker Sponsor Licence
Under the Worker Sponsor Licence is the Skilled Worker visa. This visa is designed for long-term skilled workers who can work for a minimum of three years or five years. To be qualified, skilled workers should first have been offered a work position at a UK company holding a sponsorship licence. Moreover, the applicants should also obtain at least 70 points on the latest points-based system.
The specificity and rules around the Skilled worker visa completely depend on your individual circumstance as well as the job nature by which you have been offered. Most importantly, it also opens the route to an Indefinite Leave to Remain after you have resided in the UK for five years or so.
The Skilled Worker Visa includes three subcategories which are:
- Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
- Sportsperson Visa
- Minister of Religion visa. (Here, employees are permitted to work for three years.)
Moreover, here are some of the requirements you need to comply with to be eligible for a Skilled Worker Visa:
- Must be offered a job position by a UK-based employer with a sponsor licence
- The work should be a genuine vacancy at the right skill level
- Must have been provided with a certificate of sponsorship that explains the details of the job
- The job position should offer a minimum salary which may vary depending on the vacancy
- Must prove that you have a B1 level English ability
- Finances must be enough to sustain yourself while in the UK (you may need to submit documentation of evidence for this)
- Must submit a valid TB certificate (if applicable) and criminal record
- Temporary Worker Sponsor Licence
The second type of Sponsorship licence is the Temporary Worker Sponsor Licence. This visa is intended for skilled workers who choose to work temporarily in the United Kingdom for a specific period. It’s also divided into several categories listed below:
- International agreement worker. (when work will be performed which is under the jurisdiction of international law)
- International Sportsperson (1 year for a sportsperson, and two years for an artist or entertainer)
- Government Authorized Exchange
- Religious Worker (can work for up to two years)
- Charity Worker (can work for up to one year)
- Creative worker. (can work for up to two years for those who are qualified creative workers)
